Bernard fontan



(No Model.)

B. FONTAN.

CLASP.

No. 469,237. l Patented Feb. 23, 1892.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BERNARD FONTAN, OF BUENOS AYRES, ARGENTINE REPUBLIC.

CLASP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters :Patent No. 469,23*?, dated February 23, 1892.

Application led February 14. 1891. Serial No. 381,486. (No model.) Patented in France November 16, 1886, No. 179,657 in Belgium November 19,1886,No. 75,294, and in EnglandNovember 20, 1886, No. 15,117.

.To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, BERNARD FONTAN, residing at Buenos Ayres, Argentine Republic, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fastenings for Wearing -Appareh (patented in France, No. 179,657, November 16, 1886; in Great Britain, No. 15,117, November 20, 1886, and in Belgium, No. 7 5,294, November 19, 1886,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new'or improved fastenings for boots, gloves, and other articles of wearing-apparel.

In the drawings hereto annexed, Figure 1 is an elevation of one arrangement of such fastenings, supposed to be applied to the uppers of a boot or shoe, the parts united by the fastening being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same, and Fig. 3 a View at the joint end thereof. Fig. 4f is avertical section of such a fastening shown open. Fig. 5 shows two views of the piece of metalon which the fastening is secured. Fig. 6 illustrates a boot with the fastenings applied thereto.

The fastening is formed of two principal parts, one a, which is fixed to the boot, glove, or other article of apparel, and the other b, which is jointed to the first and forms the head or button of the fastening. The part ct, which forms a kind of a sole-plate, is made of asingle piece of metal cut or stamped out, as shown in Fig. 5-that is to say, with two ears c c', perforated with holes d cl', and two other ears f f the ends of which are hook-shaped, as shown. h, 7i and h2 are projections,which are perforated with holes for fixing the plate a. by sewing to the leather or other material forming the article to be fastened. In cutting or stamping out the part a a tonguepiece 7c is formed in the central part and is pressed out to form a spring to hold the head or button h open or closed, as will be hereinafter described. The ears ff are bent up one against the other, in order to form a single piece terminated by a hooked catch t'. The ears c c are bent up square to form supports or bearings for the trunnions o o, on which the head or button b turns. This head or button b is formed of papier-mache or compressed paper or other suitable material and has a metallic tail-piece 'm fixed at one end in the paper or other material and formed at the other end with the trunnions o o and the eccentric projecting piece p, Fig. 12. The trunnions o o fit, as before stated, into the holes d d in the ears c c', while the projection p comes permanently in Contact with the tonguepiece 7c, which acts as a spring upon it. The head or button b is molded or otherwise formed with a hollow b', in which the hookedcatch '1l takes when the said head or button is closed down, as shown in Fig. 1. The soleplate ais sewed to the fixed part w of the boot, (see Figs. 1 and 6;) but it may be fixed as firmly by means of suitable folding-pieces, as will be hereinafter described. The movable or covering part ac of the boot is furnished with eyelets o, corresponding exactly with the hooked catches e'. It will now be readily understood that the head or button b being raised or opened the catch t' is easily inserted into its corresponding eyelet b, and then in order to complete the fastening it is only necessary to close the head or button b down over the said catch t, for in that position the spring 7c acts powerfully on the eccentric projection p to prevent the head or button b from being raised above the catch t'. In order to undo the fastening, the head or button b is raised or opened, and the eyeleto is then easily taken off the catch 'L'.

Figs. 7 toll illustrate a fastening suitable for gloves. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal 'vertical section of such .a fastening; Fig. 8,a plan of same, and Fig. 9 a plan and elevation of the fixing-plate for same. Fig. 10 shows a counter fixing or washer plate, and Fig. l1 illustrates a ladys glove furnished with these fastenings. The piece or plate a, cut or stamped out with the ears c c f f', the purposes of which are the same as those of the corresponding parts in Fig. 5, has at its end two slender tongue-pieces r r', which serve for fixing the plate a on the leather or stuff. For this purpose these tongue-pieces pass through the leather or the stuff and through the slots t t in a counter fixing or washer plate 3,whicli is applied at the back, and the tongue-pieces fr r are then bent down into recesses or hollows y y', formed in the washer-plate s when it is cut out or stamped.

It is obvious that either of the above-de- TOO scribed methods of securing the fastenings may be employed, as may behest suited to the material composing the article to which they are to be attached.

The head or button b may be formed in one piece vwith the tail, trunnions, and eccentric projection p out of a piece of metal stamped up into a suitable form, as illustrated in Fig. 7, and it may be lacquered, gilded, silvered, or otherwise decorated.

The forms, material, and dimensions of the component parts may be varied, according to circumstances, without departing from the nature of the invention.

The new or improved fastenings, constructed and applied as shown in Figs. l, 2, 3, 4E, 5, G, and l2 of the drawings, possess the following advantages over fastenings heretofore in use, viz: reduced first cost, improved appearance, increased facility and convenience in fastening and unfastenin g, increased durability, permanence of the color of the head or button when the same is made of papier-mache or compressed paper, and increased facility for coloring such head, as may be desired.

The new or improved fastenings, constructed and applied as shown in Figs. 7, 8, 9, l0, and l2 of the drawings, possess the further advantages 0f great strength when the fastenin g is once riveted to the counter or washer plate, greater rapidity in ixing in place as compared with sewing, and avoidance of tearing of the material to which they are attached.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is- The herein-describedfastening for boots, shoes, and the like, comprising a plate of sheet metal provided with upwardly-bent parallel ears c c', ears ff', also bent up from the sides of the plate, one against the other, to form a hooked catch t', a tongue k, also made in one piece with said plate and bentto form a spring, and a button or head having a suitable shank hinged to the ears c c of the plate, said shank having a cam-shaped end bearing against the spring 7a, and said button or head having a recess in which the hook or catch rests when the fastening is in operation,substantially as shown and described.

In witness whereof I hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

BERNARD FONTAN.

Witnesses:

P. MOREL, C. LAMoNT, Jr. 

